• Honda retired the capital B in the name as a mark of
respect for Baba leaving the project. He was presented with a piston from
every model on a plaque as a retirement gift.
• The 2003 Blade was the last model to come with a hinged pillion seat.

Honda Australia launched the new CBR
954 Fireblade to the motorcycling press at Victoria's magnificent Phillip Island
circuit. After the racetrack day MCNEWS.COM.AU immediately took the new
Fireblade on a one day ride over varying terrain that covered over 900
kilometres. Over the next few days the machine was used as general transport
before being taken again on a long one day stint followed by some more
commuting, adding up to another 2,000 kilometres on the odometer.

Honda's claims of 152hp for the previous model had proven wildly optimistic with
true rear wheel figures on our dyno normally registering around 123. This was
not far behind the figures we achieved with the ZX-9R (127hp), R1 (129hp) and
GSX-R 1000 (131hp) but like the ZX-9R the Fireblade suffered from a lack of
mid-range grunt for the fast boys to get off the turns as quick as the R1 or
GSX-R.

For 2002 we see a steady path of evolution rather than revolution with Honda’s
flag ship sports model. The previous CBR 929 Fireblade was a very polished
package but there is no doubt the new 954 has made steps forward in nearly every
area.

With a boost to 954cc by way of a 1mm increase in bore size Honda has aimed to
regain some ground in the grunt department on the GSX-R and R1, by my seat of
the pants it has. The improvements in mid-range delivery are significant and
immediately obvious to anyone who has spent plenty of time with a 929. (I have
covered around 23,000 kilometres on 929 Fireblades). The extra urge is really
noticed on the track, throttle control now has to be a little bit finer on the
exit of the turn if traction at the rear is to be maintained. However the top
end delivery improvements are not as pronounced as the definite mid-range boost
the 954 has gained over the 929.

One of the only gripes I had with the previous 929 was the annoying little
stutter in the delivery around 3,000 rpm, this has been much improved in the
954, but not completely eliminated in some gears.

What the bloody hell are you doing at 3,000rpm on a sporting four-cylinder
sportsbike you ask? Well unfortunately in heavy traffic or damp city conditions
sometimes this zone is briefly ventured down to and the little improvements down
here are welcome for this rider.

All engine dimensions remain the same, including stroke and cylinder pitch. The
reciprocating weight of the pistons and wrist pins was reduced and as the image
opposite illustrates the new pistons are significantly smaller than their
predecessors. Honda claims this helps eliminate the vibration and extra stresses
that often come with this sort of increase in displacement. I don't know about
this one, I think the new bike does have an ever so tiny vibe felt through the
bars that never seemed to be apparent on the 929. I only felt this briefly a
couple of times during some big kilometre days but it is worth a mention even
though I can't see it ever becoming a problem.

In what would be a welcome improvement for the purchaser who aims to own the
bike for the really long-term is the fact that the bigger pistons slide up and
down in new cylinder sleeves pressure formed from sintered aluminium powder. The
bonus comes down the track, in later years, these new sleeves can be re-bored,
to a maximum of 0.25mm oversize, this is becoming increasingly rare these days.
Honda also say the material that makes up these new sleeves provides better wear
resistance and heat dissipation, I have no science degree so will simply take
their word for it. I guess a lot of racers will immediately be doing that
overbore to get them from 954 to 960cc as for them every little bit counts.

Both the crankshaft and cases were also reworked and refined to further minimise
friction and mass throughout the engine. An oil spray is now directed at the
undersides of the pistons to help dissipate heat. No doubt a similar concept to
Suzuki's well proven S.A.C.S. system utilised on the GSX-R series right back to
before the machines were water cooled.

Fuel injector bodies have grown in diameter from 40mm to 42mm. Their new
electronic fuel injectors feature 12 jet holes which are bored by laser for
finer atomisation. Perhaps this is why the 954 is much more fuel efficient than
the previous model.

It was somewhat rare to stretch the 929’s 18-litre tank to much over 200-220
kilometres but during one touring stretch I got 270 kilometres out of the 954’s
18 liters
. Over a mixed city commute and slower highway work I think a range in
excess of 300 kilometres could be achieved. The redesigned instruments
incorporate a fuel economy LCD which displays constantly updated fuel
consumption figures in the kilometres per litre format.

Incorporated into the air cleaner and exhaust system, the Honda Variable
Intake/Exhaust Control System (H-VIX), is carried over to the 954 and modulates
the volume of air flowing into the air cleaner while its Honda Titanium Exhaust
Valve (H-TEV) switches the exhaust configuration from 360-degrees to 180-degrees
at higher engine speeds for easier breathing at high rpm. These systems seemed
to operate a little smoother through their stages of engagement than on the 929
but the two stage changes can still clearly be felt at around 3,000 and
7,000rpm.

The FireBlade's new 2nd Generation PGM-FI ECU features a larger memory and newly
programmed control maps to achieve much faster processing speeds than the
current black box it replaces. The FireBlade's titanium exhaust system remains
essentially the same as the 929 but the muffler is a new titanium item.

Cooling capacity has also seen a boost with a wider radiator and modified
internal cooling tracts while the cooling fan is now controlled by the engine
management system rather than a thermostat style operation. Should the temp'
sensor for the ECU fail the computer responds by operating the fan continuously.
Even with these improvements to the cooling system the Fireblade's temperature
rises rapidly in slow city traffic or when idling and seems to warm the thighs a
little more than on the 929.

Like the 929 the 954 also has an automatic fast idle system for cold starts, a
feature that is so incredibly handy for a slacker such as myself.

Transmission specification remains unchanged but small refinements to individual
components have definitely resulted in a slightly smoother and more reliable
shift.

The new FireBlade's chassis further builds on the lightweight and rigid
dual-spar aluminium frame of the previous model. Honda claim that modifications
to the steering head casting's balance of thickness achieve improvements in its
torsional rigidity.

The rear damper's upper mount has also been completely redesigned, dropping the
pin-through-end-collar mount found in most conventional designs in favour of a
new 'bolt-in' design that fits the entire upper body of the damper into a large
new hole in the frame's rear casting, and secures it with a pair of adjustable
sleeves that make it possible to adjust the ride height without further
affecting the suspension's travel and other settings.

A monstrous new swingarm also makes an appearance but somehow manages to end up
300 grams lighter than the slightly smaller swingarm it replaces. Even the
FireBlade's wheels have been modified for lighter weight with another 300g of
unsprung weight being saved there.

All up the diet program has resulted in a claimed 2 kilogram weight saving,
Honda now claim 168 kilograms dry for their flagship sportsbike.

Left virtually unchanged are the FireBlade's high-performance inverted front
forks (in my opinion, already about the best in the business), which received
only minor setting modifications. Both ends of the suspension are of course
fully adjustable.

I am no factory racer so can't pinpoint what all these fine changes make
individually but the sum of the parts definitely ends with an improved handling
package. I did push the previous 929 Fireblade quite hard at times, for a
non-racer anyway, resulting in lower fairing scrapes etc. but never really
yearned for better handling than what the 929 provided.

But nonetheless the new 954 Fireblade has made significant handling improvements
that riders of all levels will feel, but only the absolute fastest of riders can
possibly approach the limits of. The limits of this machine, like many of the
latest sportsbike weapons, are far and above the riding talent of meagre
mortals, myself included. It is comforting though that the bike always has
performance reserves if you get yourself in a little too hot, if you let it, the
bike will probably still pull you out the other side if you just commit to that
corner you think you may have overshot.

Out on the open road the Fireblade is quite stable, as long as you position your
body correctly, concentrate your weight forward. Any light and powerful
sportsbike will give a little bar wiggle every now and then, but getting out
over the front of the bike will prevent most of this. It is quite obvious, on a
bumpy road with some aggressive use of the throttle the front will get a little
light and tend to be a bit nervous, if the rider is slack and just sits back on
his seat this becomes much more of a problem. This is a hard core sports weapon
that is razor sharp, ride it properly and it will not misbehave, get a bit
slack, ride it like a complete plonker, then it is a lot more likely to bite.
Once again Honda have seen fit not to supply a steering damper, and I prefer it
that way. Racers will want to fit a damper, but I can't see the average buyer
needing one and during my time with the Fireblade never found stability to be a
problem when in the twisties. The only times I noticed anything negative in the
stability stakes was when in dirty air, as in behind a large car or truck with
the resulting air turbulence, the bike can start a little weave under those
conditions.

Superb four-piston calipers up front still clamp on those huge 330mm discs. I
thought the 929 brakes were awesome but there is no doubt that the new bike
stops even better than before. More available braking power and resistance to
fade, along with what seems like a lot less effort and travel on the lever. If
brakes keep improving at this rate I can't imagine where we will be in another
few years, you will need arms like King Kong to hold yourself off the bars if
anchors get much more powerful !

The new FireBlade's bodywork has a new 'Wing Mark' colour scheme which reaches
back across the sides of the fairing in thick strokes highlighted by a new
FireBlade logo and 'RR' markings. A 'CBR' logo now appears on the sides of the
FireBlade's new tail cowl.

Other major styling changes include a lower, more sharply angled and more
aggressively designed front cowl, and a lighter, slimmer seat cowl profile that
opens up space above the rear tyre. In fact, every piece of bodywork apart from
the front fender is new.

The fairing's new front cowl is angled further down for a more compact and
aggressive look along with the new headlight. To the sides, newly designed
single-piece side cowls replace the 2-piece panels of the 929. The headlight
beam is very good, I tested this during a night time run through the Great
Alpine Way which is now something entered in my book of things not to do again
after having to evade many kangaroos who were obviously on a death mission. I
also did around 300 night time highway kilometres and found the headlight to be
much more useful then. Straight stretches is always when sportsbike headlights
work properly, not much good in the tight turns as the light doesn't turn with
the bars like on a naked so the headlight is never pointing the right way around
a tight turn. Something all fully faired bikes have to live with.

Even the fuel tank shape has changed. Blending in above the panels of the
fairing, the fuel tank maintains much of its original lines, but has been
reduced in size. Settling lower in the frame for more compact proportions that
reduce both its height and length by 10mm, this new fuel tank helps move the
rider closer to the steering head. While this reduction in the fuel tank's outer
dimensions would normally result in a corresponding reduction in its capacity,
the FireBlade's new fuel tank was expanded downward between the frame rails at
its rear to make up the difference in volume.

A new 'hugger' fender makes an appearance, giving a more open look to the space
between wheel and seat and helping to protect the rear suspension from dirt
thrown up by the rear tyre.

A new LED taillight makes an appearance along with slightly smaller indicators.

The seat's locking pillion pad pops open automatically on spring-loaded hinges
with a turn of its easy-access key. Underneath resides a compact and convenient
carrying space, with room reserved for carrying a U-lock and other daily
necessities. The size of the storage space is slightly down on the 929; I could
squeeze a pair of shoes down the front of the 929's storage space and still have
room for wet weather gear but I couldn't quite manage it on the 954. That said,
it is still better than the opposition in this area. Another change sees the key
inserted in to the fairing below the pillion seat rather than above the number
plate which further improves ease of use. This bike has so many nice little
touches to make living with it just that little bit easier.

Behind the front cowl, the layout of the FireBlade's slimmer and more compact
analogue/digital instrument panel looks similar to the 929, though size and
weight have been reduced. It features a large conventional tachometer alongside
a large LCD readout of speedometer, odometer, coolant temperature and clock. The
new display features a new fuel consumption readout that continuously calculates
consumption from the engine's current operating conditions. A low warning light
illuminates when there is just under 4 liters
remaining in the tank.

Honda latest anti-theft system features a fail-safe electronic interlock that
prevents the engine from being started by any other than the motorcycle's two
original keys. The keys are actually micro-chipped to the ECU and without that
electronic signature being recognised by the computer the bike can't be started.
This system also features a blinking red LED built into the instrument panel.

Comfort levels are excellent for this class. The reach to the bars is slight,
for a sportsbike, and the seat is broad and supportive. After covering 900
kilometres in a day I was ready to back it up again the next day and would
gladly ride this motorcycle anywhere without a second thought.

All in all the Fireblade is a much improved package. The mid-range power deficit
to the full litre size sportsbikes has been nearly completely regained and the
impeccable handling is even better than before. Honda's Fireblade is the most
rider friendly of all the big bore sportsbikes and just about any rider can jump
straight on and feel at home.

Confidence inspiring is perhaps the most descriptive term for the Fireblade's
chassis. The turn in and mid corner poise is awesome and I would happily wager
that most road riders would immediately lap faster on the Fireblade than they
would on any other bike. And don't bother emailing us to volunteer as we don't
have the resources to put that to the test.

Useable, real world performance combined with a multitude of well thought out
features make the Fireblade the thinking mans sportsbike. It is really fast at
the track, quite comfortable on the road, and priced well under the competition
at $17,290.